The group scattered, running for their lives, disregarding whether Filch was in the corridor.
Luckily, they were in good fortune; Filch had gone elsewhere to find someone, and the group ran all the way back to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room.
The Fat Lady on the door asked in surprise, "Where have you all been?"
"Don't ask, just open up quickly."
Breathless from their sprint, the group looked back nervously, fearing the monstrous creature might chase after them.
Harry said the password "Pig snout," and the door began to swing open.
"Wait, John, aren't you a Slytherin?"
Just as they were about to enter, Harry remembered that John was a Slytherin.
At this moment, John also remembered he wasn't a Gryffindor student and could only watch as the others entered the Gryffindor common room.
After the door closed, he paid no heed to the Fat Lady's surprise at Gryffindors mixing with Slytherins.
He walked back alone.
On his way back, he saw Malfoy.
Perhaps wanting to see if his own scheme had succeeded, Malfoy hadn't expected to encounter John.
Just as he was about to turn back, John intercepted Malfoy in a swift stride, towering over him.
His expression grim, John said, "Malfoy, you wouldn't want the headmaster to know about your nighttime activities, would you?"
Malfoy instinctively glanced around; the corridor was empty except for the two of them.
Not to mention his cronies Crabbe and Goyle were still fast asleep in their warm beds.
"W-what are you going to do? You were the one out at night," Malfoy was intimidated by John's presence.
John chuckled coldly, "I generally don't hold grudges. Usually, if I have an issue, I settle it then and there. What do you think I'm going to do?"
Before Malfoy could react, John's right hand had already covered Malfoy's mouth to prevent him from calling out.
With a flick of his left hand, his wand slid out from the sleeve, improved by Madam Malkin's clever modifications.
"Do you know, besides casting spells, a wand's material itself is quite sturdy."
The wand waved in front of Malfoy's eyes; his wand was narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, resembling chopsticks.
The wand paused near Malfoy's eyeballs from time to time, as if it was about to poke in the next second.
This made Malfoy tremble uncontrollably.
"Shh—keep your voice down. Don't let Filch hear you. You know, in Filch's office, there are plenty of tools for punishing people."
The demonic voice echoed in Malfoy's ears, making him regret why he had provoked such a lunatic.
The wand wavered for a moment; John quickly clenched his fist and punched Malfoy in the stomach.
This punch almost made Malfoy vomit, and he curled up in the corridor, clutching his stomach.
"Remember, don't try to scheme against me in the future."
John looked down at him condescendingly, turned and walked a few steps away, then glanced back at Malfoy, who was still clutching his stomach and unable to move.
He softened a bit; if Filch caught him, Slytherin would lose points again.
He didn't want Slytherin to be at the bottom of the four houses every year.
Approaching to help him up, John said to him with deep emotion, "We're from the same house, there's no need to be at odds with each other."
Malfoy's pale face was trembling, and his lips were quivering. How could this little weakling resist John's punch?
John continued, "To be rational, we're all Slytherins. Why can't we get along? As long as you don't provoke me, I won't provoke you. Maybe we can even be friends."
John's impression of Malfoy was that of a spoiled child.
Malfoy had been educated in pure-blood supremacy since childhood, something John didn't blame him for.
Or perhaps if the other party hadn't provoked him, he wouldn't have laid hands on Malfoy.
...
"Pureblood."
Arriving at a damp stone wall, John uttered the password.
The door to the Slytherin common room opened, and he placed Malfoy on the sofa in the public lounge.
Whoever designed the lounge was unclear.
The lounge was narrow and low, adorned with bones and bronze as decorations, with an overall dark and cold color scheme, devoid of any warmth.
The Black Lake shimmered, and a giant squid swam past the window.
John whispered to Malfoy, "Remember what I told you. We might not be friends, but we shouldn't be enemies."
Clutching his stomach, Malfoy stared at John, unsure how much of his words he comprehended.
Waving his hand, John didn't say more and turned back to his room.
After a day of training, his magical power had reached 65, and it wouldn't be long before he leveled up.
After washing up and going to bed, he lay there remembering. What was the name of the big dog with three heads? Underneath the big dog, he saw a living door.
It seemed related to the three smaller ones.
He remembered a weakness, something to do with music or whatnot.
As he thought about it, he fell asleep.
...
The next day, Malfoy passed by John as if nothing had happened, strutting arrogantly.
He didn't provoke John further; perhaps John's earlier words had an effect.
Seeing Harry and Ron still at Hogwarts, Malfoy couldn't believe it.
Harry and Ron were discussing what might be hidden beneath the trapdoor guarded by the three-headed dog.
Harry recalled the reports of the thefts from Gringotts and mentioned seeing a small package when he and Hagrid had visited Gringotts, and the two brainstormed conspiracy theories.
Meanwhile, Hermione, who had argued with Harry and Ron the day before, was now ignoring the two.
Hermione came over to John, sitting down indignantly and complaining, "Those two arrogant guys. We were almost bitten to death by that big dog, and they still find it all very amusing."
"Good grief, why are there such foolish people, and one of them is my classmate."
Hermione muttered beside him, and John had grown used to it.
At this point, it was enough just to listen.
Neville also came over, feeling quite secure by John's side.
If it weren't for John, he thought he might have ended up as fresh dog excrement in the morning.
Two Gryffindors and a Slytherin mingling together was a rare sight.
After breakfast, John didn't forget to go exercise.
He didn't want to waste such a good morning.
John's daily routine:
Run a lap around the Black Lake after breakfast.
Push-ups and frog jumps at noon.
After dinner, go to the trophy room to finish, then return to the room for push-ups and sit-ups while studying.
His day was packed full; occasionally, he relaxed by going near the Forbidden Forest with Tom and Regulus.
Just once, due to bad luck, John ran into Hagrid.
He hadn't entered the Forbidden Forest, and Hagrid had only given him a verbal warning.
John wasn't worried; on the contrary, he had become quite familiar with the big dog.
Teeth and teeth were dropped under the cat food.
Ding! Magic Level Upgraded. Current Magic Level: Level 2
Jogging along the edge of the Black Lake, John wiped the sweat off his face with a towel, sporting a bright smile.
"Finally leveled up. Now I can start practicing spells."
Although his magic level had reached Level 2, he only knew one spell at the moment. However, practicing the Unlocking Charm didn't seem to have much effect; he needed to learn a new spell.
Blessed with academic prowess, John had astonishing learning abilities. Before the Charms class began, he had already mastered the Levitation Charm.
Holding his wand, he cast the spell on a leaf that had fallen in front of him.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
He could feel some of his magical power dissipating, and the leaf in front of him floated up under the spell's effect.
Magic Level: Level 2 (10/500)
Spells: Alohomora (Level 3), Levitation Charm (Level 1)
Skills: Short Weapon Mastery (Level 7), Long Weapon Mastery (Level 6), Heavy Weapon Mastery (Level 3), Thermal Weapon Mastery (Level 1)
Blessings: Physically Fit, Quick Attack, Precision, Academic Excellence, Pilot, Long-distance Runner
Even though Levitation Charm was only at Level 1, he could only manage to levitate lightweight objects like leaves. Still, it brought a smile to John's face, and he also set his sights on the Restricted Section.
Compared to Levitation Charm, he preferred something more like Electrode... no, Expelliarmus.
If he was to go to the Restricted Section, he could try it out in the next two months.
Once he completed the nighttime wandering task, he could use his mission reward to go there.
With punishments looming over him, it seemed reasonable for him to clean up in the Restricted Section.
-->
Dear Readers,
Exciting news! If you can't wait to find out what happens next, I am offering exclusive early access to the next ten chapters. Be the first to dive deeper into the story and uncover the twists and turns ahead.
To get your early access, simply join my Patreon, follow the link:- patreon.com/ghost_15
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for the story. Happy reading!